Swansea wants Comcast to wire police station for live TV broadcasts as soon as possible

Sunday

Mar 30, 2014 at 11:11 PMMar 30, 2014 at 11:16 PM

As part of a renewed contract with Comcast, the town's cable provider, the Board of Selectmen wants connections for live television broadcasts at the police station — and they want them yesterday.

Deborah Allard Herald News Staff Reporter @debsallard

SWANSEA — As part of a renewed contract with Comcast, the town’s cable provider, the Board of Selectmen wants connections for live television broadcasts at the police station — and they want them yesterday.

The board aggressively tried to get a date for when fiber-optic cables could be installed down Route 6 to the police station. The board wants the conference room in the police building wired so the department can broadcast live meetings and, more importantly, conduct live broadcasts in the case of an emergency.

“We’re all concerned about that building,” said selectmen Chairman Robert Marquis.

Gerry Buckley, a manager at Comcast who has been negotiating a new contract with the Cable Access Committee, said he can’t give the board a timeline until the contract is signed. Buckley said he can’t schedule Comcast technicians to begin the research and wiring process until that time. He said the project requires more than “just stringing wires.”

Buckley said the usual process takes roughly 18 months because of the company’s budget process.

Buckley said “no,” and that his hands were tied. He said he would, however, start the process as soon as the contract was signed. He said the project might possibly be done in eight months, but that would depend on funding that isn’t being allocated for other Comcast projects, and was not guaranteed.

Eventually, the police department, school administration building, high school studio and Town Hall will be wired with fiber-optic cable so meetings and other announcements can be aired live and in good quality.

Chris Dancause, public access coordinator, has been researching the cost to purchase equipment for the buildings, such as cameras and other devices.

The new contract with Comcast, according to Buckley, “meets the needs of the town without really impacting customer rates.”